William Felton Russell (February 12, 1934 – July 31, 2022) was an American basketball player. Russell played for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. He was born in Monroe, Louisiana. He was a civil rights activist.
Russell was also an NBA coach. He coached the Celtics from 1966 to 1969, Seattle SuperSonics from 1973 to 1977 and the Sacramento Kings from 1987 to 1988.